Gemotions

The musty air of the antique shop swirled around him as Ben browsed the shelves. He was searching for a distraction. A first edition of *The Great Gatsby* caught his eye. A tiny, dried leaf fell out as he opened it. Beneath the leaf, a tiny, folded note.

It was a shopping list, scrawled by someone long forgotten. One item: "Wedding ring." Ben’s chest tightened. He'd been on the verge of proposing to his girlfriend, but had backed out at the last moment, the fear holding him in place. This simple list, this hope for a future, felt like a judgment. He put the book down, his appetite for the story gone.